Splices in electrical wires are commonly used in the manufacturing of electrical wire assemblies. In the automotive field, for example, there may be numerous splices in one wire assembly in order to transmit electrical energy to outlying lights and various accessories. A common method of splicing electrical wires is to strip the insulation from the wires to be spliced exposing the bare conductors. The bare conductors are then welded together.
An alternative method of splicing electrical wires is to strip the insulation from the wires to be spliced exposing the bare conductors. The bare conductors are then placed in a crimped band and subsequently joined and secured by crimping the band about the conductors.
Before the wire assembly containing spliced wires is put into service, the bare conductors must be insulated against undesired short circuits and sealed against contaminants. This has previously been done in the past by wrapping the splice with dielectric tape. Tape, however, left the splice vulnerable to damage due to foreign objects or stray conductors puncturing the tape. Also, the conductor joints sustained damage due to excessive bending while the spliced wires were in transit.
An alternative to taping is to wrap a deformable material having sealing properties about the splice. Such a method provides a sufficient seal but does not protect the splice from damage occurring from objects puncturing the material or from excessive bending of the splice.
An alternative to taping or wrapping the splice with a deformable sealing material is to use a sealing insulator made of PVC molded directly onto the splice. However, installation of PVC covers requires that the wires be moved to another workstation for a subsequent molding process, thereby increasing the production time and cost of wire assemblies. Because a cover constructed of PVC is a relatively rigid material, it may not provide sufficient sealing of the spliced conductors from the environment when the wires are in service. Also, the intermediate handling of the spliced wires between the splicing process and the molding of the PVC cover at a separate workstation may result in occasional damage or breakage of the spliced conductors.
Preformed covers usually made of plastic have been used to provide an alternative to the molded-in-place covers made of PVC. However, the preformed plastic covers alone do not provide a sufficient seal about the splice. As a remedy, various sealants have been injected into the cover after the cover has been installed on the splice. Although the injectable sealant provides a sufficient seal, the step of injecting sealant after the installation of the preformed covers increases production time and cost.